Massachusetts Peace Action says participants in Sunday’s demonstration will stand frozen for two minutes on Battle Green in Lexington. They’ll then walk about three miles to the gates of Hanscom Air Force Base to engage in “acts of peaceful, nonviolent civil disobedience.”

The action represents the frigid cold of a nuclear winter as well as the Doomsday .

Clock, which is now at 2 minutes. It also commemorates those who worked in the 1980s to freeze nuclear stockpiles.

Organizers say they chose Hanscom because it’s the future site of a command post that would control weapons in a nuclear war.

We sent an all-candidates questionnaire to the leaders of the four major parties running in the provincial election. We asked their position on closing the Pickering Nuclear Station, and on water power imports from Quebec.

The NDP and the Green Party are calling for the closure of the Pickering Nuclear Station when its licence expires this August.

The Liberal Party supports the continued operation of the Pickering Nuclear Station until 2024.

The Pickering Nuclear Station is the fourth oldest nuclear plant in North America. It was originally designed to operate for 30 years, but it has now been running for nearly half a century. More than two million people live within 30 km of the Pickering Station – at least twice the number of any other nuclear station on the continent.

A recent report looked at what would happen in the GTA if a major accident occurred at Pickering – similar in scale to the accident that took place at the Fukushima Nuclear Station in Japan. The report found that an accident at Pickering could lead to the evacuation of more than 650,000 people for 30 to 100 years, cause 13,000 cancer deaths, and result in $125 billion in lost real estate value just for single-family homes.

By immediately dismantling and decommissioning Pickering after it closes, we can create 32,000 person-years of direct and indirect employment between now and 2032. This will permit most of the 300 hectare Pickering waterfront site to be revitalized and returned to the local community by 2032.

The full cost of decommissioning can be funded by money that is already in Ontario Power Generation’s Nuclear Decommissioning Fund.

Powys County Times 8th April 2018, ANTI-NUCLEAR campaigners from all across the UK will be descending on
Machynlleth next week to take part in a one day conference. The Nuclear
Free Local Authorities (NFLA) Welsh Forum is holding a special one day
conference with four other groups (WANA, PAWB, CADNO, CND Cymru) and three
supporting environmental / Welsh language NGOs on Saturday, April 14, in
the Owain Glyndwr Parliament House Centre from 11am to 3.30pm. By the close
of the conference, the groups are expected to make a “Powys
Declaration” against Nuclear Energy outlining the next steps in their
campaign.http://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/16139618.Machynlleth_hosts_anti_nuclear_conference/

HANT 27th Jan 2018, Highland Against Nuclear Transport AGM 1st February. “The Human Cost of
Nuclear Weapons” A Talk by DR. JUDITH MACDONALD (Cromarty Peace Group /
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons / MEDACT : Health
Professionals for a Safer World) Dr. Judith Macdonald’s talk will cover
her own involvement with ICAN leading to the historic signing of the
Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty (signed by 122 countries in July 2017 ), MEDACT
(Medical Practitioners Against Nuclear Weapons) and will focus on “The
Human Cost of Nuclear Weapons” This will be followed by a discussion, a
short report on HANT’s activities in 2017 and plans for 2018 with
elections to the HANT Committee.https://www.facebook.com/events/1261608800650823/

Comic Arts Festival (accessed) 28th Jan 2018, A ground-breaking exhibition of comic art by Fumio Obata, On the Palm of
Unknown, has gone on display at the Beacon Museum in Whitehaven, Cumbria,
running until 25th March 2018. Commissioned by Lakes International Comic
Arts Festival, the art project makes surprising connections between the
nuclear plants at Fukushima and Sellafield. Originally from Japan, Fumio
has spent years researching the aftermath of the devastation caused by a
massive tsunami at the Fukushima power plant in 2011. In experimental and
abstract artworks Fumio explores the invisible connections and sentiments
between the two different worlds.https://www.comicartfestival.com/news/fumio-obatas-palm-unknown-exhibition-opens-whitehaven

Rally Speak Out
Saturday November 11, 2017 3:00 PM
San Francisco Japanese Consulate
275 Battery St. near California St.
San Francisco

Despite the denials by the Japanese Abe government, Fukushima continues to contaminate the population of the area and the world. The government has declared that the area has been decontaminated but the radioactive water continues to accumulate in thousands of tanks. The clean-up has failed to even remove the radioactive material from the reactors that melted down due to the deadly high level of radiation that has even destroyed robots. There is already 22 million cu. meters of contaminated waste yet the government continues to claim that it is safe to return and is pushing to restart additional nuclear reactors.
The government is also pushing ahead to demand that the residents including families return to Fukushima or face the removal of their subsidies. This despite the fact that the courts have ruled that TEPCO now controlled by the government is financially responsible for the costs of this disaster for the people.
The government at the same time has declared that it is preparing for a massive Nankai Trough earthquake on Japan’s Pacific coast that according to even the government’s own estimate might kill 320,000 people yet it is planning to reopen nuclear plants in the very places it says there is a danger of a major historic quake that would create many nuclear meltdowns and a massive nuclear cloud of radioactive contamination threatening not just Japan but entire humanity and the environment.

The effort to reopen the nuclear plants is now combined with growing repression of the people with a secrecy bill and conspiracy law that will allow the government to charge journalists and citizens with crimes who are working to get information out about the dangers of Fukushima and the nuclear power industry.
The Abe government is now working with Trump to remilitarize and remove Article 9 of the constitution which forbids offensive war and Trump is demanding that Japan buy more military equipment and weapons. Over 40,000 people marched in Tokyo last weekend to oppose war and militarization yet the government is pushing ahead despite mass opposition.

It is time to speak out to defend the people of Fukushima and oppose the restarting of Japan’s nuclear plants and oppose militarization of Japan including the development of nuclear weapons.

Pledge for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

We, the undersigned parliamentarians,warmly welcome the adoption of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on 7 July 2017 as a significant step towards the realization of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

We share the deep concern expressed in the preamble about the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons and we recognize the consequent need to eliminate these inhumane and abhorrent weapons.

As parliamentarians, we pledge to work for the signature and ratification of this landmark treaty by our respective countries, as we consider the abolition of nuclear weapons to be a global public good of the highest order and an essential step to promote the security and well-being of all peoples.

The free public event in the Auckland Domain involves our Mayor Phil Goff, one of more than 7000 ‘Mayors for Peace’ globally who are committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons.
The Mayor will unveil a peace plaque beside a Pohutukawa tree, in honour of Nuclear-Free New Zealand and those who work for peace, and to support the United Nations Nuclear Weapon ban treaty negotiations that start in New York next week.

“The Nuclear Free New Zealand 30th anniversary celebration is a time to reflect on the horror of war, to learn lessons from our past and do everything we can to prevent the future use of Nuclear Weapons. New Zealand is proudly nuclear free and we must continue to strive for a peaceful world free of nuclear arms” says Mayor Goff.

“There are at least two undeniable existential threats to human survival – climate change and nuclear weapons. On the 30th anniversary of New Zealand’s Nuclear Free Zone status, it’s heartening to see our Government taking a strong stand on nuclear disarmament. We should always remember that our nuclear-free status was created by the people of New Zealand and in the process, they set an example that the rest of the world can follow” – Dr Russel Norman, Greenpeace New Zealand Executive Director.

Helen Clarke, former NZ Prime Minister, tweeted: “30 years and going strong. NZ became a nuclear-free nation by law in 1987. I chaired the parliamentary committee which examined the new law.”
Significant public support is expected at the Auckland rally which is the first of its kind and one of many nationwide being organised throughout this year to mark the staying power of this important legislation.

The Auckland event is an opportunity for people to take a stand for peace by forming a giant human peace symbol like one done publicly in 1983. (see attached Picture)

Join the citizens of Auckland as we recreate the largest Human Peace symbol in New Zealand to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of “No Nukes” in the land of the long white cloud, the very same peace symbol we created in 1983. Help send a signal to the world that together we stand for peace.

People from all walks of life are joining together to form a giant human peace symbol. Its intention is to convey a unified message of world peace supporting a world free of nuclear weapons.

This may be the first time for the younger generation to celebrate our historic New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone and take part in creating a message of world peace.

500K People Sign 500K People Sign Petition Barring Trump’s Nuclear Weapons Use, telesyr, 4 May 17 According to the bill, the President will be prohibited from using the Armed Forces to conduct a “first-use nuclear strike” until a congressional declaration of war expressly authorized such a strike.

Nearly half a million people have signed a petition supporting the “Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017,” a legislative proposal submitted to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday.

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Ted Lieu of California and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, is aimed at keeping U.S. President Donald Trump from launching a nuclear weapon without Congress’ approval of declaring a war.

Calling out Trump’s rhetoric on North Korea and Russia, Markey called the action, “absolutely critical during the Trump administration,” adding that the petition is “a reflection of concern across our country of the use of nuclear weapons by the president.” Just recently, the president tweeted that there’s a possibility of a “major, major” conflict with North Korea over the ongoing tension between the U.S. and Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

“A nuclear first strike, which can kill hundreds of millions of people and invite a retaliatory strike that can destroy America, is war,” Lieu said.

On April 29, We March for the Future We’ll either save or doom the planet during the Trump administration. Don’t sit the Peoples Climate Mobilization out., The Nation, 20 Apr 17 By Bill McKibben,
It is hard to avoid hyperbole when you talk about global warming. It is, after all, the biggest thing humans have ever done, and by a very large margin. In the past year, we’ve decimated the Great Barrier Reef, which is the largest living structure on Earth. In the drought-stricken territories around the Sahara, we’ve helped kick off what The New York Times called “one of the biggest humanitarian disasters since World War II.” We’ve melted ice at the poles at a record pace, because our emissions trap extra heat from the sun that’s equivalent to 400,000 Hiroshima-size explosions a day. Which is why, just maybe, you should come to Washington, DC, on April 29 for a series of big climate protests that will mark the 100th day of Trumptime. Maybe the biggest thing ever is worth a day……

This week of rallying is the logical extension of the climate-justice movement that emerged in the last decade, led by frontline communities and climate scientists, by indigenous people and farmers and ranchers. All the battles currently under way will be on full display as we march: against the Dakota Access and Keystone pipelines and now a dozen others; against fracking wells and mountaintop-removal coal mines; for solar panels, solar panels, and more solar panels. (Not to mention bikes, buses, and electric cars.) This march embraces, finally, large segments of the labor movement. Workers and citizens dying in the heat and floods will march next to scientists pale from too many hours in front of the computer. It is a march for the future.

But reaching the future depends on dealing with the present, and the present is uniquely bleak. Governments have been oblivious before, but it’s hard to remember one as actively, determinedly stupid. It was revelatory to watch, earlier this month, as even Fox’s Chris Wallace filleted Scott Pruitt, the head of Trump’s EPA. “What if you’re wrong?” he finally asked the flustered Pruitt, who couldn’t quite recall even climate denialism’s standard talking points. Pruitt, of course, is wrong, since his entire job is to represent the industry that has spent a quarter-century lying through its teeth about climate change. But he’s aggressively wrong—he hadn’t even started his new job before the transition team was leaking news that the administration was ready to defund the satellites we use to keep track of the climate. Think about that for a moment. We’re not just going to ignore the mounting evidence; we’re going to stop collecting it.

Which helps explain, I think, the mounting anger of the scientific community. They’ll march first, on April 22, to the National Mall, and in hundreds of satellite marches around the world. Expect lines of people in lab coats, pushing equation-laden blackboards down the streets of Washington. Scientists have been, for the most part, resolutely apolitical: Their job has been to provide the data, offer the analysis, and then stand back and let “policy-makers” take over. In a rational world, that would make sense. There’s no particular reason why someone who knows the best way to compute the melt rate of Greenland’s glaciers (no easy task, by the way) would also know the best way to move us off fossil fuel.

But as scientists have finally begun to realize, there’s nothing rational about the world we currently inhabit. We’re not having an argument about climate change, to be swayed by more studies and journal articles and symposia. That argument is long since won, but the fight is mostly lost—the fight about the money and power that’s kept us from taking action and that is now being used to shut down large parts of the scientific enterprise. As Trump budget chief Mick Mulvaney said in March, “We’re not spending money on that anymore. We consider that to be a waste of your money to go out and do that.” In a case this extreme, scientists have little choice but to be citizens as well. And given their credibility, it will matter: 76 percent of Americans trust scientists to act in the public interest, compared with 27 percent who think the same thing about elected officials………

the news isn’t all grim. In fact, what makes the current Trumpish backsliding so absurd is that it comes just as we’ve figured out at least some of what we need to do about climate change. The price of a solar panel has dropped 80 percent in the last decade and continues to plummet. In much of the world, wind power is now the cheapest way to generate electricity. That means that if we wanted to, we could take giant steps—fast. A few nations have shown the way: Denmark produced nearly half its power from wind in 2015, and Costa Rica ran its electricity system almost exclusively off renewables. The price of batteries is dropping just as fast now, and their capacity grows with each new iteration. It’s not just Elon Musk; the Chinese are starting to drive this revolution as they install vast quantities of renewable power.

Which is a good reminder that markets alone are not going to make this transition happen—at least, they’re not going to make it happen fast enough to catch up with the physics of global warming. For that we’ll need concerted government action, like the Senate bill that Bernie San­ders and Jeff Merkley will introduce in late April calling for 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. It won’t pass, obviously—but it will serve as the new standard for sensible people to rally around.

And it will be popular—every poll shows that Americans of every ideology love solar power (close to 90 percent in some surveys). Not only that, but they’d love the jobs that come with the transition to solar: by first estimate, about 4 million. That job growth should put Trump’s endless posturing about coal miners in stark relief—thanks mostly to automation, there are barely 76,000 of them left; twice as many Americans work in car washes.

All these streams will converge on the National Mall on April 29, chosen because that weekend marks Trump’s first 100 days in office. This Peoples Climate Mobilization(#ClimateMarch) will be the big one, the sequel to the massive protest that filled the streets of New York in September of 2014. Expect—well, expect lots of people determined to show that they’re fed up with Trump’s nonsense and aware that there’s another future available. We’ll be marching from the Capitol, up Pennsylvania Avenue, and we’ll completely surround the White House—a kind of citizens’ arrest of the nincompoop inside. There will be a moment of silence and then tremendous noise, loud enough to shake the occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to their senses if they had them. We’ll end with a closing event at the Washington Monument, where people will be able to gather in “circles of resistance” and talk about the road ahead. (There will also be candidate training the next day for climate activists who want to run for office.)…..https://www. thenation.com/article/on- april-29-we-march-for-the- future/

The Bulletin supports the March for ScienceApril 22nd is not just Earth Day, it’s the global March for Science. Find out everything you need to know about attending in your area, or about attending digitally through an online stream. The Bulletin will be present at the March for Science Chicago, and we’ll have a booth at the Science Expo at the end of the march route. Stop by and visit. And be sure to catch theBulletin‘s Rachel Bronson, Sonny Garg, and Daniel Holz in a “Fireside Chat,” hosted by the March for Science Chicago, onTuesday, April 18th.

The Fights to Protect Science, People and Planet Are Inherently Connected, Here’s how the Peoples Climate March and March for Science are working together, and how you can plug into both, April 06, 2017 by Common Dreams, by Lucky Tran, Jamie Henn,

The election of Donald Trump has sparked an unprecedented outpouring of public mobilization across the United States and around the world. From the Women’s March to rallies against the Muslim Ban, people are demonstrating creative and powerful ways to take action, in Washington, D.C. and beyond, to resist Trump and fight for the world they want.

This April, two powerful mobilizations will take place in D.C. and around the world, one to stand up for science and truth, the next to defend our climate, jobs, and justice. Together, the March for Science and the Peoples Climate March provide a powerful way for all of us to take action—together……..

The March for Science is dedicated to science and truth in all its forms: from combatting climate change, to curing diseases, to protecting our air and water. This powerful uprising of 400 (and counting) marches will demand evidence-based decision making from our politicians and unite local communities behind the importance of science.

Then, a week later, values represented by the March for Science will manifest in the Peoples Climate March. Because the Trump administration’s reckless affronts to truth, none is clearer and more dangerous than its attacks on climate science at the service of fossil fuel interests. The Peoples Climate March will call for bold solutions to address the climate crisis, action that doesn’t just protect our environment, but also creates and retains jobs, and delivers social justice for all. In contrast to Trump’s divisive, fossil fuel based economy, the Peoples Climate March will put forward a bold vision of a clean energy economy that works for all.

In some towns and cities, organizers will combine the two events. That’s great. Both mobilizations are intentionally open-source and encourage collaboration (and even combination) at the local level.

During the week between the two marches, many different organizations, networks, and individuals are putting on other events, film screenings, announcements, and more.

02/04/2017 WASHINGTON — Famed anthropologist and conservationist Jane Goodall wants everyone to stand up to those working to undermine scientific research by joining this month’s “March for Science.”

“Many scientists have spent years collecting information about the effect of human actions on the climate,” said Goodall, who turns 83 on Monday. “There’s no question that the climate is changing, I’ve seen it all over the world. And the fact that people can deny that humans have influenced this change in climate is quite frankly absurd.”

Asked by The Huffington Post about Trump’s climate actions, Goodall called them “immensely disturbing.” However, she believes the Trump administration has woken people up, citing the numerous marches and demonstrations.

“I really hope that everybody who can will take part in this march,” Goodall said. “I so wish I could be marching with you. I can’t, I will be far away. But there will be a cardboard, life-size Jane marching, showing everybody that I want to be there and that I shall be there with you all in spirit.”

1.This Month

The climate change threat to nuclear power

By Natalie Kopytko“…………The final problem is droughts, which climate models predict will become longer and larger. Legal battles have already been fought in the US over scarce water resources in regions with nuclear power plants, including the Catawba river basin in the Carolinas and the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint river basin in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. These battles show us that adapting our systems – including nuclear power – to a reduced supply of water will not be easy.

The International Atomic Energy Agency advises the nuclear industry to build power plants to last for 100 years. Given that climate models don’t agree on what to expect within this time period, it is not at all clear how this can be achieved.

New reactors could use dry or hybrid systems with lower water requirements, but the costs of running these systems are likely to be prohibitive. Considering nuclear power plants already have problems with construction cost overruns, any additional costs are likely to meet resistance.

What is to be done? Most forms of energy generation are vulnerable in some way to the effects of climate change, and the fact that nuclear power is among them is yet another argument against a wholesale shift towards this source of energy.